


Drunk Brother

by Womble1



Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-18 06:40:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28987941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Womble1/pseuds/Womble1
Summary: this was inspired by someone elses work about Alan calling Scott Dad. I seem to have quite a soft spot for getting the boys drunk.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 22





	Drunk Brother

Scott ambushed Virgil while he was watching the sun dip down into the ocean from the comfort of a sun lounger on the balcony. Virgil watched as Scott carefully stretched one leg over the width of the next lounger and then very carefully lowered his bum onto the wooden slats with exaggerated care. There was a slight thud followed by clinking as Scott placed two tumblers on the ground between them and then pulled out a bottle of scotch from where it was tucked under his armpit.

They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes while Scott poured out a measure for each of them and handed one across to Virgil, who had gone back to enjoying the sunset. He took the offered glass, looking away from the view and they clinked the edges together in a small toast. They didnt often get a chance to spend time together like this, but it still felt familiar all the same. 

Scott didn't say anything, he had learnt over the years that pushing Virgil to talk only ever met with stubborn resistance. Nice peaceful silence was the order of the day, just wait for all the thoughts going on in his head to come out on their own. Until then, he might as well enjoy his drink and put his feet up. He glanced across at Virgil, whose shoulders were still a little stiff, but it looked like the Scotch was starting to do its job.

Virgil broke the silence “I think the last time we did this was when Alan passed his probation on Three.”

“God, that seems like a lifetime ago” replied Scott, disbelief written on his face. “Ugh, little brothers age you”

“Dad would be proud they've turned out good, heh, you should be proud too” Virgil carried on with his verbal meandering.

“You should be proud! There would have been far more bust ups if they had only had to deal with me. You have to take the credit for that!” Scott took a swig of his drink, he’d picked the right vintage, one that Virgil ought to find palatable.

“I'll put it on my CV shall I?” He quipped back, taking a tentative sip to work out what Scott had given him. It was good, not the full paint stripper that Scott often favoured, like he was trying to burn out his taste buds as some sort of penance for sins unknown.

“You've written one?” asked Scott, a little surprised.

“You haven't?” retorted Virgil

“Well I don't think I'm going to be looking for a career move any time soon. If this all goes that badly wrong I don't think I will be fit for much else. Why, are you job hunting?...” He wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer, if that was what had been playing on his brother's mind.  
“No,” then he caught the look on Scotts face, the creeping panic he was so clearly trying to hide. “No! No, nothing like that. I just had to pull together some credentials to go with a piece I wrote for my old uni, you know, alumi stuff, John helped me fluff it out so it didn't just read, went to work for dad. I tell you, John could even make Gordon sound employable, he wouldn't have to rely on a good reference from us.” 

Scott let out the breath he had been holding, slowly to be hopefully unnoticed. “Ha! We should all be thankful he hasn't gone to the darkside and gone into marketing, the world wouldn't be safe.”  
“Drink to that!” and Virgil held up his glass again before draining the contents. Scott didn't take much encouragement to follow suit. 

“Do you ever look at them and wonder if anything has rubbed off on them, like from us, rather than from mom and dad?” asked Scott as he refilled the glasses with a generous measure

“Are you kidding me, Alan is your mini me!” Virgil barked out with a laugh

“We both just take after dad I suppose.” Scott had turned thoughtful now.

“Nah, it's more than that.” countered Virgil “You remember how he was your shadow as a toddler. Remember when you had to see that chiropractor because your back was getting crippled, and it turned out it was because you had been carrying Alan on your hip all the time because you got frustrated when he couldn't keep up with you, but he got upset when you got too far ahead.” They both giggled at that memory, but Scott had his own anecdote to come back with.

“Remember when you got that warning at the pool because one of the lifeguards thought you were stalking them because you were always sitting in the viewing section. They never twigged that you were there for Gordon and he practically lived there. Although it does serve you right for having your sketchbook out at the pool. 

“I wasn't drawing the swimmers! I was working on landscapes from sketches and photos, it was a lot of time to kill” 

“You're just really lucky there wasn't a single nude in that sketchbook or I might have had to come bail you out, that wouldn't have looked good on the old CV.” Scott laughed as he found the bottom of the glass again. Better do something about that, plenty more in the bottle.

Virgil was nursing his glass too, and let out a big rib stretching sigh

“Hey Virg, you know he'll be back in the pool soon enough, the doctors were really positive about his progress.” 

“Yeah, I know, I know. I don't know how he stays so upbeat about it” He took the top up Scott offered his way and returned to gazing into the amber liquid, with the same concentration the sunset had received. 

“It helps he's got good support around him” offered Scott, trying to get into his brothers eyeline

“Tracy money does get good doctors, do you think they're all hoping there's a vacancy going on the island?” Virgil tried to inject some lightness into his voice that he wasn't really feeling,, but still he didn't take his eyes off the glass in front of him, head slightly bowed.

Scott huffed slightly “I meant you, you knucklehead, you've been there for every operation, the reception staff are going to think you're stalking them, better not take the sketchbook.” another attempt to lighten the mood, neither of them were managing it very convincingly. “What, what is it?” Virgil's shoulders had risen towards his ears slightly as if he was trying to tuck himself small.

“Nothing, nothing,” He tried to turn the movement into a shrug “He just comes out with some funny shit when he's drugged up after the operations.” He rolled his shoulders, as if trying to get a kink out of that broad back, although he doubted Scott was buying the deception. He took a big swig of his drink instead, trying to cover up the way his breathing was catching slightly as he thought back on the morning at the hospital. “He was chattering away when he came round on Monday.” there was a slight crack in his voice too now, it was all going down hill. “He thought I was Mom.”

Scott gluped at his own drink, feeling the burn as it went down. Well that explained a lot, but what should he say now? 

Words escaped him all that came out was: “Oh." Oh smooth Scott, great job, he thought. 

Virgil didn't seem to mind, and carried on speaking “Yeah, he was telling her about each of us, what we had been doing and….. " another crack in his voice and Scott put a hand on his brother's arm lightly. It was enough to make a few tears make a bid for freedom, Virgil hadn't even been aware they were waiting in the wings, he's a little startled by them and lets out a broken little laugh as he swipes them away. 

"he told me, I mean her, that she didn't need to worry because Virgil, I mean me, ugh complicated; I was looking after him so he still got plenty of hugs" now a sob snuck out too, eager to join the party. He battered it down with another ragged fragile laugh and sniffed back any traitorous tears who might get any big ideas. This was getting messy. He kept his eyes glued on his own legs, when had that stain got there? His family were right, he really could get messy just standing still. 

“Awwh Virg, why didn't you say anything?” Scott gripped his brothers arm tighter now

“Oh, he didn't mean anything by it, he was drugged up to the eyeballs.” Virgil tried to shrug again, but even that came out a bit of an uncoordinated mess. Few more tears seized their moment and launched themselves down his cheeks, sliding quickly down the moisture already there and falling in fat droplets onto his shirt. He tried to sniff again, but realised the situation was beyond saving as he was now also a snotty mess. He buried his face into his hands, with a half laugh half snuffle “its nothing, I’m fine, it was nothing, I must be tired”

Scott crouched down on his haunches between the two loungers and moved his hand to his brothers back, circling gently as a few more sobs bubbled to the surface.

“I know, but it still can blindside you sometimes, I get it, everytime Alan calls me Dad, I never know what to do.” he stares down at the ground between his feet, as his own thoughts take over. “I just don't feel enough most of the time, Dad was just, well, it's a lot to try and live up to.” he shook his head to try and clear the thoughts.“But at least you know that Gordon thinks you’ve done a good job looking out for him”

Virgil snorted “Well, the hugs at least” he took his hands slowly down from his eyes, hoping that the sun had gone down enough to mask the worst of his puffy features. 

“I have been reliably informed that hugs are essential for mental wellbeing…” he inserted air quotes around that bit “ I can't remember who told me that” Scot dodged a lazy shove that was aimed in his direction, and took that as his cue to set himself back on his lounger. “Gordon always was a hugger as a kid, but he had such lumpy elbows it was painful”

“I never had a problem, you were just such a bony arsed teenager.”

Scott chose to ignore that description of his physique “See you were just better at cuddles, do you remember his ninja phase?”

“Oh god, when he used to run at you from behind and jump on you at full speed, we probably should have put a stop to that before you split your chin open on the door handle” the memory did the trick and a smile started to form at the edge of Virgil's mouth.

Scott rubbed at his chin thoughtfully with one thumb, trying to feel if the scar was still there “ yeah I never mastered ninja hugs, that's for sure. But the scar got me a lot of attention for a while, made everyone think I was all rugged and tough or whatever” he was starting to slur his words now, when had the rest of that bottle evaporated?

“Maybe I should have face palmed a door frame too,” said Virgil, his shoulders slumping a little as his eyes dropped back down again.

“Right, new rule, each piece of self depreciation and you have to drink” Scott waved his arms around in delight at his own idea.

“Why just me!”

“That was whining, DRINK!”

“Wha-!” Scott pushed the bottom of the glass up as Virgil took a sip forcing the rest of the measure down his throat causing him to splutter. “you're making this up as you go along now”

“Yep, that's how drinking games work!” The grin on his face was almost wide enough to split it in half.

After that things got increasingly messy, they may have snuck back into the house to try and liberate more spirits, they may also have slipped around in their socks because they thought it made them more ninja. The only person who would really know would be John if he reviewed the security footage, because you weren't going to get any sense out of the two eldest by that point.

Nobody mentioned it the next day when both of them were tottering around with sunglasses on but a few more calls than usual might have found their way across to the GDF thanks to an unusually sympathetic space monitor.


End file.
